The All Progressive Party (APC) have reacted to the accusations made by Former Aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode that the party has links with the dreaded Boko haram sects.
It was reported earlier today that Fani Kayode while speaking on Channels TV’s breakfast show, Sunrise Daily this morning accused APC’s leaders of being supportive and sympathetic of the dreaded sect as it suits their purpose of destabilizing the country and discrediting the PDP led government.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) party who disowned Femi-Fani Kayode as a member early this month has asked Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode to retract his comment alleging that the APC, through its National Publicity Secretary Lai Mohammed, condemned the Federal Government for proscribing the terror group Boko Haram or face a legal action.
The APC Party in a statement issued in Lagos on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said at no time did it issue a statement condemning the proscription of Boko Haram, and challenged Mr. Fani-Kayode to produce such a statement if he was so sure the APC issue it.
The statement reads: ”I have caused my attorneys to formally write both Fani-Kayode and Channel television, where he made his allegation, to retract the statement and apologize, failing which I will sue for defamation of character.”
”Our position on Boko Haram has been well articulated for anyone who cares to know, but at no time did we condemn the government for proscribing it. When the state of emergency was declared on three northern states, we criticized it and we stand by that. But we did not condemn the proscription of Boko Haram. We are not Boko Haram sympathizers and we cannot be under any circumstance,” APC said.
Fani Kayode in his interview accused Lai Mohammed of supporting the Boko haram saying: “Again I look at the utterances of the official spokesman of the opposition last year, that is Lai Mohammed, where he protested at the fact that Boko Haram was proscribed by the federal government where he said it was unconstitutional for the federal government to do so. He needs to explain why it is he would want to protect and support an organization that has killed almost 15,000 Nigerians as at that time and is against the fact that they were being proscribed to protect Nigerians”.
Meanwhile the party has also condemned Mr. Fani-Kayode’s description of Boko Haram as the armed wing of the APC, saying the statement is most irresponsible, uncharitable and without basis.
”Equally irresponsible and condemnable is Mr. Fani-Kayode’s deliberate distortion of statements made in the past by Gen. Muhammadu Buhari to mean that he or his party is a sympathizer of Boko Haram,” the party said.
It said Mr. Fani-Kayode’s latter day castigation of opposition politicians, after he returned to his vomit and repudiated all the damaging statements he made publicly in the past about the PDP and the Jonathan Administration, is not based on any altruistic considerations.
”It is common knowledge that Mr. Fani-Kayode has been charged by the Federal Government with money laundering. The trial is almost ending, and he knows he faces a certain jail term if convicted.
”It is therefore not impossible that Mr. Fani-Kayode may be seeking to ingratiate himself to the FG by using various media platforms to destroy the APC through accusing its leaders of being Boko Haram sponsors or that the party is bent on fielding a Muslim/Muslim ticket in next year’s presidential elections.
”Unfortunately, in his eagerness to please the FG and cut a deal to avoid going to jail, he has resorted to pathological lies aimed at calling the dog a bad name in order to hang it. Whatever evidence he has to prove that our party is a sponsor of Boko Haram, he should be prepared to tender such in court,” APC said.
It would be recalled on June 2, that Femi Fani-Kayode dumped APC for the ruling party, Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).
While on June 4, the APC Party reacted to Femi Fani-Kayode’s defection saying “we never trusted Fani-Kayode.”
Meanwhile on June 9, Femi Fani-Kayode had threatened to expose APC’s atrocities.